Welcome To Dan Law Field
June 19, 2000 | Baseball
June 19, 2000
Known as one of the top collegiate ballparks in the country, Dan Law Field has proven to be a definite home-field advantage for Red Raider baseball. Since Larry Hays took over the program in 1987, Texas Tech has won nearly 80 percent of its games at "The Law." In the 1990's alone, the Red Raiders posted a 281-64 record.
Texas Tech's 25-7 home record during the 2000 campaign marked the eighth straight season that the Red Raiders won at least 25 games in Lubbock. The Law wasn't a friendly place for ranked teams as Tech swept Baylor and won two of three games against College World Series participants Texas and USC. Texas Tech was the only team to sweep the Big 12 Champion Bears while the fourth-largest crowd (5,124) in school history saw the Red Raiders defeat Texas on 4/15.
Texas Tech has put together numerous winning streaks with a school-record 30 straight wins from 4/29/95-4/27/96. Over the last five seasons, Tech has won over 80 percent of the games at the "The Law." The Red Raiders hold a 142-30 record over that span, including identical 28-5 records in 1998 and 1999. They have not lost more than 10 home games in a season since 1992.
THE HECKLERS
www.techhecklers.com
Wherever you go in college baseball, there is always a certain group of fans that seem a little more rabid than the others. At Dan Law Field, those rabid fans are known as The Hecklers. Established in 1995, The Hecklers are arguably college baseball's best fans.
The biggest advantage that Texas Tech baseball has at Dan Law Field is the fans and their involvement in the game. Tech baseball fans are known as some of the most knowledgeable and loyal fans in college baseball. The Hecklers have been selected by the Big 12 Conference as the top fans in the league for three consecutive seasons at the Big 12 Baseball Tournament.
The Hecklers are known throughout the Big 12 and the nation for their creativity when getting "in the kitchen" of Red Raider opponents. Heckler Chris Snead has written a book, Bleacher Bible, that contains various lines used to "rag" players, coaches and umpires. Also included in the book is the "Ten Commandments of Heckling."
The element that sets the Hecklers apart from other fans in the country is that they develop a relationship with the opponents throughout a series. When Southern California was in Lubbock during the 2000 season, catcher Beau Craig's birthday happened to be on the Saturday of that series. The Hecklers greated Craig on Sunday afternoon with cupcakes, banners, presents and a card signed by over 200 fans.
The Hecklers have a very entertaining and informative website at www.techhecklers.com. The website contains the History of the Hecklers, Ten Commandments of Heckling and the All-Heckler Team. There is a link to the site of "Hecklers North" which is a group of students famous for singing the "Gringo Song." Also found on the site are links to the organizations of former Red Raiders in professional baseball.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT TEXAS TECH FANS
Princeton head coach Scott Bradley at the 2000 NCAA Regional in Houston: "Their fans make it a lot of fun. As the game went on, our kids really enjoyed the atmosphere even though we didn't have as many people in the stands as we did last night (vs. Houston). The Texas Tech fans loosened us up and made us laugh and relax as much as anything."
Southern California Head Coach Mike Gillespie on USC's series at Dan Law Field: "It's a great experience for our players. We don't deal with this very often. We don't deal with this size of crowd or how electric it is."
USC catcher Beau Craig on Red Raider fans: "They don't get too personal, and they know what they're talking about. They know baseball. They pick up on little details. I think the fans here are excellent. I don't think they're jerks. They're great baseball fans. And we would die to have those fans at our park."
"I like this place here more. At Texas, they're not jerks, but they're not that great. They're not good at it. A lot of them don't know what they're talking about, and a lot of them are obnoxious. Here, they're not obnoxious, they're funny. They know what they're talking about."
New Mexico State coach Rocky Ward: "It will be interesting this weekend in Lubbock. That's the unique thing about that group, they're loud and entertaining and they are good for the home crowd. But they are also very classy. It's hard to get that accomplished. You want fans to be loud and rowdy and you want that continual pressure on opponents. But we never felt like they crossed the line and they gained some respect for us. They understand what the game is all about."
West Texas A&M centerfielder Mark Ohm: "The raggers are the biggest thing. That's what we try to get them ready for. They make it more fun because it's a fun atmosphere. It's not like they're ragging us personally. We've been telling them about past games that we've played down there."